1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stamp logotype printing apparatus for printing stamp logotypes such as trade name, telephone number, commercial message, etc. on a receipt in case of issuing receipts by a printer in an ECR (Electronic Cash Register) or a POS (Point of Sale) system, more specifically to a stamp logotype printing apparatus having a mechanism to cut a receipt sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
With respect to the prior art of the kind, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 7-182565 (1995), there is known a method for memorizing print data of a stamp logotype in division into an image data section and a character data section, with the object of improving a printing processing speed and facilitating an alteration of contents of the character section in the stamp logotype.
With respect to other prior art example, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 1-159790 (1989), there is known a method wherein, in order to shorten the time for issuing a receipt, after the final printing on the receipt, the sheet is long-fed by a distance corresponding to a stamp logotype region, cut, and then provided with stamp logotype printing or commercial printing.
Furthermore, as to other prior art, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 4-363787 (1992), there is known a method wherein, in order to shorten the time for issuing a receipt, in an ECR equipped with a thermal printer, fixed header information such as images like a stamp logotype, messages, is printed lay registering first one of articles purchased by the customer.
FIG. 2 shows a head/printing mechanism of general thermal printer, wherein a receipt paper P to be transferred by a roller 21 is cut by a cutter 23 after it is printed by a thermal head 22. And, in case a distance L from a printing position by the thermal head 22 to a cut position by the cutter 23 is relatively short, when a stamp logotype is printed on a next receipt after cutting a preceding receipt as shown in FIG. 12A, there is a problem to provide a useless space of distance L before a printing stamp logotype region. On the contrary, when the preceding receipt is cut after printing the stamp logotype on the next receipt as shown in FIG. 12B, because of the necessity to cut the preceding receipt before the top portion of the printed stamp logotype reaches the cut position, there is a problem to make the stamp logotype printing region very narrow.